What to Put on a Resume (Examples & Tips)
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Whether you’re writing your first resume or updating an existing one, it can be challenging to know what to put on a resume, especially as hiring practices and applicant tracking system (ATS) requirements evolve.
In this guide, you’ll learn which resume sections employers expect to see, what optional sections can strengthen your application, and how to tailor your resume for different industries and career stages. You’ll also find examples and expert tips to help you create a resume that stands out.
What Should Your Resume Include?
A resume should include your contact information, a professional summary, work experience, skills, and education. It may also include optional sections, like certifications, volunteer work, and awards, depending on your background.
While every role is different, most resumes follow a similar structure, making it easier than you might think to write a resume that stands out.
Here’s a breakdown of what to put on your resume:
Our professional resume templates come formatted with all of the sections you need to include in your resume. Easily add your contact information and click to add ready-made content tailored to your background and target role.
Header With Your Contact Information
Including up-to-date contact information in your resume header ensures that potential employers can reach you to schedule a job interview. Include your name, email, city and state (zip code optional), and a link to your professional portfolio or networking profile.
Remember to use an easy-to-read font throughout your resume, such as Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. Take a look at the example below:
Mariah Howe
555-555-5555 | mhowe@email.com | Orlando, FL 32866 | example@example.com
Explore our selection of professionally crafted resume examples to see a wide variety of design options for displaying your contact details in the header of your resume.
Resume Summary
A resume summary is a three- to five-sentence paragraph at the top of your resume that highlights your key qualifications, skills, and experience. It’s a great way to grab the hiring manager’s attention by providing a snapshot of your top skills and qualifications.
A well-crafted resume summary should be concise, specific, and tailored to the job you’re applying for. Here’s an example of what to put in a summary on a resume:
“Skilled sales manager with eight years of experience in driving revenue growth, managing sales teams, and developing successful sales strategies. Proven track record of exceeding sales targets, building strong client relationships, and leading high-performing teams. Skilled in sales coaching, pipeline management, and market analysis.”
In some cases, you may use a resume objective instead of a resume summary. This is most common in the following situations:
- You’re transitioning into a new field.
- You’re a student or recent graduate.
- You’re applying for an entry-level position.
- You have extensive gaps in your career history.
Our AI Resume Builder offers ready-made and AI-enhanced resume summaries based on your target job title to help you craft a summary quickly and easily.
Work Experience
Including a well-crafted and tailored work experience section is essential for demonstrating your career progression and highlighting your qualifications.
Employers use work history to assess your suitability for the job and to determine whether you have the necessary skills and experience to succeed in the role.
Here’s an example of what to include in a work history entry:
Marketing Coordinator
Tallen Solutions, New York, NY
Jan 2018–Present
- Conduct market research and analyze data to identify trends and growth opportunities.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and execute marketing campaigns that increase brand awareness and drive leads.
- Manage social media accounts to create engaging content and grow the company’s online presence.
If you’re listing a job at a lesser-known company, you can add a one-sentence description directly underneath the company name describing what it does. This can give employers a better understanding of your professional background.
Skills
Including a strong skills section on your resume helps you demonstrate that you have the qualifications needed to excel in the role. Tailor your skills section to the job description, and highlight the hard skills and soft skills most important to the employer.
Here’s an example of a skills section for a marketing professional:
Skills
- Communication
- Email marketing
- Project planning
- A/B testing
- Marketing automation
- Budgeting
- Stakeholder management
- Google Analytics
You might choose to place more emphasis on your technical or interpersonal skills, depending on your field and the job description at hand.
Education
The education section of your resume should include information about your academic background, such as your degree, minor, and any relevant coursework or training.
Include the name and location of the school or institution and the degree or program you completed. It’s not necessary to include your graduation year, but you can do so if you graduated within the past three years. If you’re currently pursuing a degree or program, you can list your expected graduation date instead of the actual date of completion.
List your education in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent degree or program. Here’s an example of what to include in the education section of your resume:
Education
University of California, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing
- Relevant coursework: Principles of Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research, Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Advertising and Promotion
- Honors: Dean’s List (Fall 2018, Winter 2020, Spring 2021)
Optional Resume Sections
Optional resume sections can help you stand out when they add relevant value to your application. They can showcase additional skills, accomplishments, or experiences that support your qualifications and give employers a more complete picture of your background.
Certificates & Licenses
You can include a section for job-relevant certifications or licenses you’ve received.
Here’s an example of how to put certifications on a resume:
Certifications
- Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute, 2025
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA), State Board of Accountancy, 2022
Here are some additional tips on how to list certifications and licenses on your resume:
- List them in reverse-chronological order. List your certifications and licenses in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.
- Include the name and organization. For each certification or license, include the name of the certification or license and the organization that granted it.
- Mention the date of certification. Include the date you obtained each certification or license.
Volunteer Experience
Including volunteer experience on your resume can demonstrate your commitment to causes you care about and show potential employers that you’re a well-rounded candidate.
Include the name of the organization, your role, and the dates of your involvement. Highlight any skills you developed or demonstrated, such as leadership, teamwork, or communication.
Here’s an example:
Volunteer Experience
Volunteer Builder | Habitat for Humanity | June 2024–Present
- Assist with the construction of new homes for low-income families.
- Participate in safety training and enforce safety procedures on the job site.
- Work with volunteers to complete tasks such as framing, roofing, and installing windows.
Language Proficiencies
Adding language proficiencies to your resume can be a valuable asset, especially if the job requires communication with people who speak a different language.
When listing language proficiencies, it’s important to be honest about your skill level and to use terms like “beginner,” “intermediate,” “advanced,” or “fluent” to describe your proficiency level.
Here’s an example of how to list languages on your resume:
Languages
- English — Fluent
- French — Intermediate
- Spanish — Advanced
Additionally, if you have any experience using the language in a professional setting, such as translation or interpretation, be sure to include that as well.
Awards & Honors
Including awards and honors on your resume can help you demonstrate your achievements and highlight your strengths to potential employers.
Here’s an example for inspiration:
Awards
- Best Salesperson of the Year, Atwood Corporation, 2026
- Outstanding Volunteer Award, Moore Community Center, 2023
- Best Paper Award, National Conference on Environmental Studies, 2021
Examples of awards and honors you might include in this section of your resume include academic honors, industry certifications, scholarships, fellowships, and community service or professional awards.
Hobbies & Interests
The right hobbies on your resume can add depth to your work experience, help highlight your job-relevant skills, and show employers how you might fit into the organization’s culture.
Here’s an example of hobbies and interests on a resume:
Interests
- Photography: Developed an eye for detail and composition through capturing moments in nature and urban environments.
- Volunteer work: Actively involved in community service projects, demonstrating dedication and commitment to making a positive impact.
- Cooking: Passionate about experimenting with new recipes and flavors, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills in the kitchen.
Examples of What to Put on a Resume for Different Career Levels & Job Titles
What you put on a resume depends on your experience level, industry, and career goals. While every resume should include the core sections, the information you emphasize will vary. The examples below show how to tailor your resume based on your career stage and role.
High School Student
High school students should focus on education, relevant coursework, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and transferable skills. Even without formal work experience, highlighting academic achievements, leadership roles, and involvement in clubs or sports can demonstrate responsibility, initiative, and potential to employers.
Here’s an example of a high school student’s resume:
College Student
College students should highlight their education, relevant coursework, internships, projects, part-time jobs, and extracurricular involvement to demonstrate their qualifications and career potential.
Here’s an example of what to put on a resume as a college student:
Internship Application
When writing a resume for an internship, focus on your education, relevant coursework, academic projects, skills, volunteer experience, and any part-time jobs. Employers typically look for potential rather than extensive work history, so highlighting your willingness to learn, subject knowledge, and transferable skills can make your application more competitive.
Here’s an example of an internship resume:
Cashier
Cashiers should emphasize customer service skills, cash-handling experience, point-of-sale (POS) system proficiency, and reliability. Include examples of helping customers, processing transactions accurately, resolving issues, or working in fast-paced environments to show employers you can provide a positive customer experience.
Here’s an example of a cashier resume:
Sales Associate
An effective sales associate resume should include relevant work experience and measurable achievements. When possible, quantify accomplishments with numbers to demonstrate impact and performance.
Here’s an example of a sales associate resume:
Teacher
Teachers should highlight certifications, education, classroom experience, lesson planning, and student outcomes. Include examples of improving student performance, managing classrooms effectively, and using teaching tools or technology.
Here’s an example of what to put on a teacher resume:
What Not to Include on a Resume
A strong resume avoids unnecessary or outdated information that doesn’t support your qualifications. Don’t include personal details like age, marital status, or photos, as well as irrelevant work experience, outdated skills, or long paragraphs of unrelated job duties.
Here’s a closer look at what not to put on your resume:
- Personal details (age, marital status, religion, or photo, unless required)
- Irrelevant work experience that doesn’t relate to the job you’re applying for
- Outdated skills or technologies you no longer use
- Long paragraphs or dense job descriptions without clear results
- False or exaggerated information
- References (only include them if specifically requested)
- Unprofessional email addresses or contact details
Next Steps for Building a Strong Resume
A strong resume is more than a list of jobs—it’s a clear, tailored snapshot of your skills, experience, and value to employers. Once you understand what to include and what to leave out, the next step is refining your resume for the specific roles you want.
Focus on customizing each application, highlighting measurable achievements, and keeping your layout clean and easy to scan. With these fundamentals in place, you’ll be better prepared to stand out and move forward in your job search.
Key Takeaways
- Include up-to-date contact information, including your name, email address, and phone number.
- Add a compelling summary or objective to grab the hiring manager’s attention right away.
- Use strong action words, measurable achievements, and keywords from the job description when describing your work experience.
- Include a mix of hard and soft skills, and tailor them to the job you’re applying for.
- Ensure that any educational accomplishments, certifications, and volunteer work you include are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
- Don’t include unnecessary personal details, unprofessional language, or irrelevant information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the five most important parts of a resume?
The five most important parts of a resume are contact information, work experience, skills, education, and a professional summary. These sections give employers a quick overview of your qualifications and experience so they can quickly assess your fit for a role.
Other good things to put on a resume include certifications, volunteer experience, internships, relevant coursework, projects, awards, and technical skills. These optional sections can strengthen your resume by highlighting additional achievements and capabilities.
Is Cambria good for a resume?
Yes, Cambria is a good resume font because it’s clean, professional, and highly readable in both print and digital formats. It has a traditional, polished serif style that works well in formal industries like law, education, and finance.
Sans-serif fonts like Arial or Calibri may be better for more modern or technical roles because they feel simpler and more contemporary.
What should I include in my resume for ATS?
To make your resume ATS-friendly, include clear section headings, relevant keywords from the job description, and a standard format, such as reverse-chronological or hybrid. Use simple fonts, avoid images or complex formatting, and include measurable achievements so ATS can accurately scan, rank, and match your resume to relevant job openings.
What is a red flag on a resume?
A red flag on a resume is anything that raises concerns about a candidate’s qualifications, reliability, or honesty. Common examples include unexplained employment gaps, frequent job changes, vague job descriptions, inconsistent dates, or exaggerated achievements. These issues can cause employers to question credibility and fit, so clarity and accuracy are essential.
How does a 14-year-old create a resume without experience?
A 14-year-old can create a resume without formal work experience by focusing on school activities, volunteer work, extracurriculars, hobbies, and transferable skills, such as teamwork, responsibility, and communication.
They can also include academic achievements, clubs, sports, and informal work like babysitting or tutoring to demonstrate reliability and initiative to employers or program coordinators.
How We Reviewed This Article
Since 2012, we have helped more than 11 million job seekers. We want to make your career journey accessible and manageable through our services and Career Center’s how-to guides and tips. In our commitment to bring you a transparent process, we present our Editorial Process.
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Elizabeth is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches. She is committed to helping job seekers navigate the job market and succeed in their careers.
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